Appliances for dispensing masking are disclosed in the following prior art:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. 3,787,271 Wahlquist U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,214 Pool et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,021 Pool et al ______________________________________
Each of the disclosed appliances include a frame, and mounted therefrom a paper roll holder, a tape roll hold and a handle, and optionally a masking guide locating forwardly of the paper roll holder. The disclosed appliances are all handed, which is to say that they are devoid of symmetry. The effect of this is that for certain applications, for example where the masking is to be applied along an inside vertical corner of a room, if the applicator is suited for applying the masking to the corner in a downward movement, it will be unsuited for applying the masking to the corner in an upward movement.
The masking will be generally withdrawn from the appliance in a plane defined by a masking support bar, which is disposed forwardly of the paper roll, over which bar the masking passes as it is dispensed from the appliance. Where the handle of the appliance is significantly offset from this plane a torque is developed as the masking is dispensed, which leads to operator fatigue.
The prior art appliances are suited for construction from metal, with relatively long paper roll holders and masking guides cantilevered outwardly from the frame. Such appliances are relatively heavy and are not readily adapted for molding in thermo plastic materials.
The prior an appliances tend to be relatively bulky whereby they are not entirely suited for use in confined spaces.